Sol_140G0121Q0030_Amd_0001.pdf

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140G0121Q0030 x x

1 copies of the amendment; (b) By acknowledging receipt of this amendment on each copy of the offer submitted ; or (c) By separate letter or electronic communication which includes a reference to the solicitation and amendment numbers. FAILURE OF YOUR ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO BE

RECEIVED AT THE PLACE DESIGNATED FOR THE RECEIPT OF OFFERS PRIOR TO THE HOUR AND DATE SPECIFIED MAY RESULT IN REJECTION OF YOUR

OFFER. If by virtue of this amendment you desire to change an offer already submitted , such change may be made by letter or electronic communication, provided each letter or electronic communication makes reference to the solicitation and this amendment, and is received prior to the opening hour and date specified.

x

GRB

RESTON VA 20192

12201 SUNRISE VALLEY DRIVE

205 NATIONAL CENTER

USGS OAG RESTON ACQUISITION BRANCH

01/08/20210001

13. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO MODIFICATION OF CONTRACTS/ORDERS. IT MODIFIES THE CONTRACT/ORDER NO. AS DESCRIBED IN ITEM 14.

12. ACCOUNTING AND APPROPRIATION DATA (If required) is not extended.is extended, Items 8 and 15, and returning

Offers must acknowledge receipt of this amendment prior to the hour and date specified in the solicitation or as amended , by one of the following methods: (a) By completing

The above numbered solicitation is amended as set forth in Item 14. The hour and date specified for receipt of Offers

11. THIS ITEM ONLY APPLIES TO AMENDMENTS OF SOLICITATIONS

FACILITY CODE CODE

10B. DATED (SEE ITEM 13)

10A. MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT/ORDER NO.

9B. DATED (SEE ITEM 11)

9A. AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION NO.

CODE

8. NAME AND ADDRESS OF CONTRACTOR (No., street, county, State and ZIP Code)

7. ADMINISTERED BY (If other than Item 6)CODE 6. ISSUED BY

PAGE OF PAGES

4. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQ. NO.3. EFFECTIVE DATE2. AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION NO. 5. PROJECT NO. (If applicable)

1. CONTRACT ID CODE

AMENDMENT OF SOLICITATION/MODIFICATION OF CONTRACT

12/23/2020

CHECK ONE A. THIS CHANGE ORDER IS ISSUED PURSUANT TO: (Specify authority) THE CHANGES SET FORTH IN ITEM 14 ARE MADE IN THE CONTRACT

B. THE ABOVE NUMBERED CONTRACT/ORDER IS MODIFIED TO REFLECT THE ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES (such as changes in paying office, C. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT IS ENTERED INTO PURSUANT TO AUTHORITY OF:

D. OTHER (Specify type of modification and authority) appropriation data, etc.) SET FORTH IN ITEM 14, PURSUANT TO THE AUTHORITY OF FAR 43.103(b).

E. IMPORTANT: Contractor is not is required to sign this document and return __________________ copies to the issuing office.

ORDER NO. IN ITEM 10A.

14. DESCRIPTION OF AMENDMENT/MODIFICATION (Organized by UCF section headings, including solicitation/contract subject matter where feasible.)

FIELD OBSERVATION STUDY OF MINING ACTIVITIES IN AFGHANISTAN

Legacy Doc #: UGS

The purpose of this modification is to respond to questions from contractors. The quote/proposal deadline is extended to 01/20/2021. The Q and A is below and Areas of

Interest Map attached.

1. Question: In the list of locations there are some places described as Area of Interest but on the map, these are not shown. Could you please clarify if they should be considered as a part of scope of the work or we can ignore them for pricing?

Answer: The Introduction and Background (B.2.1) itemizes the provinces that contain the

AOIs to provide an overview of AOI locations throughout the country (except for Samangan, Continued ...

16A. NAME AND TITLE OF CONTRACTING OFFICER (Type or print)15A. NAME AND TITLE OF SIGNER (Type or print)

15C. DATE SIGNED 16B. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 15B. CONTRACTOR/OFFEROR 16C. DATE SIGNED

(Signature of person authorized to sign) (Signature of Contracting Officer)

Susan Ruggles

STANDARD FORM 30 (REV. 11/2016)

Prescribed by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.243

Previous edition unusable

Except as provided herein, all terms and conditions of the document referenced in Item 9 A or 10A, as heretofore changed, remains unchanged and in full force and effect .

ITEM NO. SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

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140G0121Q0030/0001 which was mistakenly included. There is no AOI in the Samangan province.) The attached map has been updated to include additional detail and clarify naming confusion. The AOIs indicated on this map have been investigated by the study as of January

2021 and field sites will be selected within these areas. If a new AOI is identified for field work that is not in the contract, the contract will be modified, in agreement with the contractor, to add pricing and description.

2. Question: Who will select the fieldwork site in an Area of Interest (AOI) to conduct studies and survey, the USGS or the Contractor?

Answer: We ask contractors to describe in more detail which areas they can access including:

Badakhshan, Baghlan, Balkh, Balkhab, Bamyan, Ghazni, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Kunar, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Panjshir, Samangan, Sar-e-Pol, Takhar, Zabul. Once the contract is awarded, USGS and the contractor will coordinate the project plan and issue direction regarding the number of site visits for the area of interest.

3. Question: It is not mentioned in the instructions how many sites will be surveyed in each Area of Interest.

Answer: It is requested that the contractor provide a price that would reflect the cost of accessing a single site in the AOI. The number of sites selected in each province will depend on the location and level of mining activity and will be discussed with the selected contractor in advance of a task order. Task orders will be issued to the contractor with funds and specific direction.

4. Question: There are some people and technical phrases mentioned in this instruction including the Principle Investigator (PI), the Contractor

Officer, the Technical Liaison, and Hubzone set, Please clarify who are these people?

Answer: The PI is the USGS technical lead for the project, the Contracting Officer issues and authorized the contract, and HubZone is a class of contractor that is not relevant to the RFQ.

5. Question: It is mentioned that we can suggest the top three potential target areas. Can we work

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Sponsored by GSA

FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

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140G0121Q0030/0001 on just one (1) project or it is possible to work on all three suggested areas?

Answer: Yes, you can propose to work at multiple sites. We are interested in contractors providing a list, description, and pricing for a site visit in all areas that you propose to access. Once the contract is awarded, USGS will write task orders (see RFQ section C.5.) with funding and specific direction for the sites to be surveyed and the deadline for work completion, done in coordination with the contractor.

6. Question: After finishing data collection of site or Area of Interest, is it possible to apply to another project (fieldwork)?

Answer: Yes, that will depend on direction from

USGS in the form of a task order and contractor capability.

7. Question: Is there a specific deadline for data collection and survey of a fieldwork in an area?

Answer: USGS asks that contractor propose how quickly data collection can be completed. Once a contract is awarded, task 1 specifies that the contractor shall work with USGS to establish a timeline. In addition, a timeline will be specified when task orders are issued to the contractor.

8. Question: Is the USGS focusing on the specific minerals (mine activities) within 18 provinces or not?

Answer: This is a very broad question. The USGS requires ground observations about a wide variety of minerals that are mined in various parts of

Afghanistan. While there are specific minerals that are of great interest to certain parts of the project, there is also interest in (for example) the mining of sand and gravel or construction stone.

9. Question: In the case of changes in the workload or force majeure in a target area after signing a contract, is it possible to extend the deadline of this project or not?

Answer: The contract period of performance is three years and will not be extended. Task orders, as mentioned in answers above, will be

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140G0121Q0030/0001 issued before work can be performed in specific

Areas of Interest. The period of performance for task orders can be extended if warranted.

10. Question: Are we required to submit a total 10 pages documentation for all three (3) top potential target areas or for each site for field work? Moreover, please clarify that the reference to OF 347.

Answer: We ask contractors to limit the document describing their approach to the project, experience and capabilities. In addition, we ask contractors to provide past performance description of similar projects along with between three (3) and eight (8) references.

Contractors are required to sign the first page of the solicitation form in box 30a. USGS will award task orders on the form OF 347. This form is not something the contractor submits.

11. Question: Which companies are eligible to bid for this requirement? Is a foreign vendor, including Afghan, eligible for contract award?

Answer: While it is very likely foreign vendors are eligible, this is still being researched.

Notice will be provided as a solicitation amendment if there is any restriction on foreign vendors. All companies for consideration must have an active registration in the System of

Award Management (SAM) for federal contracts.

The business area is NAICS code 541690 Other

Scientific and Technical Consulting Services.

12. Question: Will the site visits last for a day, week or month?

Answer: We ask that contractors to describe in their proposals the expected time required to access an AOI and propose a price for a site visit, however it is not anticipated that prolonged site visits would be necessary. When a task order is written, USGS will use the agreed upon price and number of site visits for the AOI.

13. Question: In section C.1. of the solicitation it is written that "Payment requests must be submitted electronically through the U. S.

Department of the Treasury's Internet Payment

Platform System (IPP). Is this true for foreign vendors?

Answer: No, foreign vendors will be directed to

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140G0121Q0030/0001 submit invoices directly to USGS and an electronic payment will be made to the vendor¿s bank listed in the System of Award Management

(SAM).

14. Question: What is the overall budget for this project?

Answer: $250,000 is the total value of the effort over three years.

15. Question: How many contracts are anticipated in this project? C.4 mentions the minimum value of each contract is $5,000.00. What type of services would be required for a value of

$5,000.00?

Answer: In response to the first question see section E.3. The types of services are described in the performance work statement (B.2.3.1)

16. Question: Will this contract be restricted only to those companies with an Afghan business license or foreign companies with a branch office in Afghanistan and not to foreign companies who have no licenses to operate in Afghanistan?

Answer: The contractor must comply with all local laws and while we can't provide legal advice to potential vendors/contractors, it appears that companies operating in Afghanistan must have a business license issued by the Afghanistan

Investment Support Agency. (*Procedures can be found at:

http://www.aisa.org.af/Content/Media/Documents/Spe cial

ProceduresforUnitedStatesandNATOContractors2242015

143434474553325325.pdf) (See also question 11)

Period of Performance: 02/15/2021 to 02/14/2024

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